When the Flowers Bloom Again
by Rionn
Summary: Originally written for PMK Week (2019) on Tumblr, but never got to finish it fast enough to share it there. Putting up one chapter at a time here now, not according to the prompts given. May contain some spoilers.
1. Sunrise

**(Original Sunday Prompt: Work/Leisure)**

**Sunrise (ft. Shinpachi x Sanosuke x Heisuke)**

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_He lost Heisuke first. _

They had spent that night huddled together, crying and hugging as they made up for the time lost ever since Heisuke left the Shinsengumi; joking and laughing to make up for the time they will no longer have once the sun came up.

Shinpachi didn't know what else he could have done, or who he could have blamed for Heisuke's he have blamed Ito for daring to present Heisuke with the option to leave the Shinsengumi? Or should he have blamed Miura, whose only thought was to protect his captains when he cut Heisuke down?

Or should he have blamed himself for not doing enough to stop Heisuke from leaving?

But who, really, could he blame, when his friend had such a peaceful smile on his face even as the gaping wound in his body took away his life?

When the sun rose that day, his tears had dried, but Shinpachi was never quite the same again.

_And then, Sanosuke left him._

Despite his gruff looks and gigantic build, Sanosuke was a big baby. And like the big baby he was, he had clung tightly onto Shinpachi, bawling unabashedly into the night as he tried, in his own clumsy way, to express his desire to go to his former comrades' aid.

The tears that soaked Shinpachi's jet black coat weighed uncomfortably on his shoulders; he had a hunch that he will never see Sanosuke again.

Morning dawned, and the once-empty street began to fill with people as its townsfolk went about their daily lives. Shinpachi, however, stood rooted to the spot for a long time, staring in the direction that Sanosuke had disappeared.

Some time passed after that, and Shinpachi, who felt as though he had been living his life on auto-pilot, woke up one morning to the mild, sweet scent of irises. The dream he had still vivid in his mind, he rolled lazily over, kicked his covers aside, and stared dully out of the window he had left open for ventilation.

It was still dark outside.

In his dream, they had snuck up onto the rooftop back in Nishi Honganji, and were getting ready to enjoy the sunrise together. He could still hear Heisuke sniggering at their little mischief, still see Sanosuke sprawled next to him, snoozing peacefully as he waited for dawn to break.

_Just like it did in his dream, the first rays of sunlight gradually peeked through the clouds, and bathed his surrounding in its warmth._

His vision blurred, and a tear rolled down his freckled cheek.

_The sun will continue to rise, day, after day, after day, just like this, but Shinpachi will no longer have his friends by his side to greet the mornings to come._

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**END**

**A/N: Originally written for PMK week on Tumblr. I'm still writing some of the chapters now, but will be consistently updating every few days! I didn't follow some of the prompts (like in this one), and also, I'm not publishing the chapters according to the prompts for each day, but according to which one I finish first. Hope you guys will enjoy it!**


	2. Those Days

**(Original Thursday Prompt: Past)**

**Those Days (ft. Okita Souji)**

* * *

_He was dying._

He could feel his life trickling away, slipping through his fingers just as water would if he tried to scoop it up in his frail, bony hands.

He shuffled slightly in his futon as he turned to look out into the little garden that was attached to the spacious room he was in; the lotuses were starting to bloom, he noticed. _He should ask to be let out to the veranda one of these days,_ he thought, smiling to himself as he admired the vibrant pink amidst the greens,_ it would be lovely if he could see those flowers up close._

He was dying, and there was nothing he could do but wait. The days, which he had spent taking long walks with Saizo around town before enjoying steaming hot tea with dangoat that cozy teahouse by the river, were no more; the days where he played catch with the children of Mibu, and where he had Saito's sparring matches to look forward to, bygone.

_What he would give to have those days back._

The soft, wistful chuckle that escaped his throat quickly turned into a loud, hacking cough, and his elder sister, Mitsu, came running almost immediately, brows furrowed in worry as she flung the thin sliding door aside, causing it to rattle noisily.

She fussed over him for a while, sitting him up and patting him on the back, patiently waiting for the coughing fit to subside. It took everything she had to fight back tears when he suddenly retched, spilling deep red from his lips and onto the hand he held over his mouth.

_And meaningless as it was, he spat out those words over and over again in a bid to ease his sister's fears: it'll be okay, I'll be okay._

The blood was quickly cleaned with practiced hands, and he was given warm tea to soothe his irritated throat. When he was finally settled back into his futon, with the covers drawn up to his shoulders to keep the chill away, and when Mitsu finally withdrew from the room, he closed his eyes and let out a forlorn sigh.

_What he would give to see his comrades once more._

He missed them. He missed the time they had spent together back at the Shieikan, where they had plenty of fun, and little to worry about; he missed the jokes Shinpachi, Heisuke and Sanosuke would crack, Kondo's jolly laughter, and the smell of Hijikata's tobacco. He missed the quiet, thoughtful conversations with Susumu and Tatsunosuke, and the ruckus Tetsunosuke would cause around their headquarters in Kyoto as he went about his daily chores in his own clumsy, cheerful manner.

As his aching body relaxed, and as he found himself gradually drifting to sleep, he wondered where they were, and how they were doing.

_How nice it would be, _he thought as he slipped into peaceful slumber, _if they were all healthy and well, and if they could all pull through this war. And how nice it would be if they could all sit around a table, and share some drinks with a warm, home-cooked meal again..._

_How nice it would be, if those days could once more be in their future._

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**END**


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